A change giver or vending machine and machines of the type accept value sheets from a user and give change in the form of value sheets. Such machines are herein referred to as “banknote handlers” or “value sheet handlers”. Value sheet handlers incorporate a number of different types of value sheet stores and means for judging the authenticity of value sheets received from users and returning value sheets to users in the form of change. Value sheet handlers include suitable means to transport value sheets from one location to another.
Importantly, value sheet handlers are geographically remote from the administrator of the machine. It will be appreciated that as the value sheet handler operates, the proportions of value sheets in the handler will vary. Therefore, the administrator needs to bring value sheets to the machine and remove value sheets from the machine.
This invention is primarily concerned with value sheet stores suitable for transporting value sheets to such a value sheet handler. The administrator may fill the store with a number of value sheets and the store and the handler are designed so that the store may be inserted into the handler. It is therefore necessary that the store be able to dispense value sheets to the value sheet handler. Such value sheet stores are referred to as “payouts”.
There are a number of known methods by which a payout may dispense value sheets to a value sheet handler. In one such method, the value sheets are stored in the payout in a stack supported by a pressure plate. The pressure plate is biased so that a topmost value sheet of the stack is brought into contact with an uptake roller. The uptake roller rotates to transport the topmost value sheet of the stack out of the store.
This suffers from the disadvantage that value sheets adhere to one another due to friction and/or creasin and the action of the roller may transport more than a single value sheet out of the payout. Such a bundle of value sheets may cause jams in the value sheet handler or in the payout. In the remainder of this discussion, in the context of one or more value sheets being transported from a stack, the value sheets transported will be referred to as a “bundle” although it will be appreciated that in certain instances the bundle may comprise a single value sheet.
To minimise this problem, it is know to provide an additional set of rollers comprising a first and second transport roller which engage with the bundle. In one such example, the first transport roller engages a topmost value sheet of the bundle and the second transport roller engages the lowermost value sheet. Once the bundle is engaged by both rollers, the direction of rotation of the second transport roller will be reversed for a predetermined time. Through this action all value sheets except the topmost one will tend to be returned to the store. Usually, the first transport roller will have a greater coefficient of friction than the second transport roller so that when the second transport roller engages the topmost value sheet, the action of this roller will not displace the topmost value sheet.
This suffers from the disadvantage that where the bundle comprises at least two value sheets and the displacement between the value sheets is too large, the action of the second roller rotating in the reverse direction for a predetermined time will be insufficient to drive the lower value sheet back into the store, resulting in the bundle being further transported into the value sheet handler with the associated risk of jams.
A further problem exists, even when all but the topmost value sheet are removed from the bundle. Due to friction between the returning value sheets and those on the stack, value sheets may become crumpled in the stack which can cause a jam in the payout.
Jams involving value sheets generally require the intervention of a person with an associated cost. Furthermore, the machine may be inoperable until the jam is cleared, further increasing the cost of the jam.
It is therefore desirable to prevent jams caused by returning value sheets from the bundle to the stack.